Vehicle wheel attachment.



B .E, POTTER. VEHIGLE WHEEL ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 21, 1911.

Patented Nov. 5, 1912.

" a I l6 /4 FIG 4 7 I7 WITNESSES: INVENTOR I [awneo E Pd-rffrf.

EDWARD E. POTTER, or SAN FRANCISCOLCALIFORNIIA.

VEHICLE WHEEL ATTACHMENT.

To all 2071 omit may concern:

Be it known that I, ED ARD E. Po'rTER, a cit zen. of the United States, and a resident of the city and county of San Francisco and State of Californla, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle ll'heel Attachments, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to a device adapted to be attached tc the driving wheels of power driven vehicles.

The object of the invention isto provide tin-attachment for the driving wheels of an automobile which will give the wheel a grip through sand, mud or loose earth.

Another object of the invention is to provide an from the wheel, and which when detached is folda-ble so that it occupies a small. space.

When an automobile is only causes it to In this condition that the vehicle may be driven by its own power.

The device possesses other advantageous features, which, with the foregoing will be set forth at length in the following description, where I shall outline in full that form of the invention which I have selected for illustration in the drawings accompanying and forming partof the present specification. The novelty of the invention will be included in the claim succeeding saiddescription. From this it will be apparent that I do not limit myself to the showing made by such drawings and descriptions as I may adopt many variations within the scope of my invention as expressed in said clalm. Referrmg to the draw1ngs:F1gure 1 1s a cross-section through an automobile wheel showing the device of my invention attached thereto. Fig. 2 is a side view of a wheel with the device attached thereto. Fig. 3 is a side view of the hub of my attachment, showing the means of, supporting it on the hub of the wheel. Fig. 4 is a detail showing Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed October 21, 1911.

attachmentof the class described which may be rapidly attached and detached driven in .sand, the driving wheels cannot obtain a grip and I cylindrical cushion 5 formed on the road when the vehlcle is passing ber may be varied if desired. The

Serial No. 655,842.

the construct-ion of the hub of the attachment. Flg. 5 1s a detail showing in elevation themethod of securing the attachment to the wheel spoke. Fig. 6 1s a cross section through the spoke and an arm of the attachmentshowing the attaching means.

For the sake of description and to avoid amblguity in the specification, the attachment will be hereinafter referred to'as a tractor. The tractor comprises a hub 2 adapted to engage the hub 3 of the vehicle wheel 4 to which the tractor is attached. Within the hub 2 is preferably arranged a of rubber so that the vehicle hub will not become marred and disfigured. When the cap 6 of the hub 3 is of largerdiameter than the hub itis Patented Nov. 5, 1912.-

necessary to remove the cap before the t-ractorcan be placed in position. The hub 52 is preferably formedwith lugs or flanges 7 arrangedtransversely thereon, the lugs being arranged in pairs, forming a seat between them for the arms 8. The arms are pivotally attached to the lugs by the bolts 9, so that they may be foldedwhen the tractor is removed from the wheel. The hub is preferably formed with the integral circumferential plate 12, forming a stifiening member for the lugs. i

In practice I have generally found six arms 8 to be most convenient, but the numarms extend from the hub 2 radihlly and are of such length that they project beyond the edge of the wheel or tire. The tractor is heldon the wheel by means of the attaching members 13 on the arms 8 which. engage the spokes 14 of the wheel. The attaching member consists preferably of a band or strip of metal 15 secured to the arm 8 and bent into the form of a hook adapted to engage the spoke 14. This hook is preferably covered with a soft material 16 such as rubber, so that the spokes will not become scratched or marred. As the tractive effort is always in one direction as the vehicle is moving forward the spoke is being continually pressed into the hook and there is small liability of disengagement. In order to insure attachmentthe spoke is confined in the hook by the strap 17 engaging the buckle 18. The tractor may be readily attached and detached from the wheel in a shorttime and when attached it gives a positive tractive effect when the vehicle is running in sand.

wheel rotates, the arms 8 successively l peripheryof the wheel and means for atw engatge the sand and dmve the vehicle along taching said arms to the wheel spokes.

the road. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set I claim: my hand at San Francisco, California, this 5 An attachment for vehicle wheels com 16th day of October 1911. i

. prising a hub adapted to engage the wheel EDWARD E. POTTER.

hub, a plurality of radially disposed arms In presence 'of pivotally attached to said hub and beingof H. G. PRos'r,

'such len h that they project beyond the P. S. PmwELL. 

